The annual Golden Joystick Awards are back and the 2022 edition saw nearly three million votes cast by the gaming public who got to choose their favorite games that launched this year.


As expected Bandai Namco’s epic fantasy title Elden Ring was a huge winner on the night, snatching five awards in total, including the Ultimate Game of the Year Critic’s Choice award, and Best Multiplayer. Devolver Digital’s Cult of the Lamb won the Best Indie game award while Mahon Mage was awarded the Best Performer recognition for her memorable turn in FMV mystery Immortality.


Vampire Survivors won Best Breakthrough while Goat Simulator 3 got the Best Game Trailer award for the astonishing Dead Island 2 footage. Lastly, the Most Wanted Game for 2023 was (as expected) the highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.


You can check out all the winners for the 2022 Golden Joystick Awards below:


Best Storytelling: Horizon Forbidden West

Still Playing Award: Genshin Impact

Best Visual Design: Elden Ring

Studio of the Year: FromSoftware Inc.

Best Game Expansion: Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course

Best Early Access Launch: Slime Rancher 2

Best Indie Game: Cult of the Lamb

Best Multiplayer Game: Elden Ring

Best Audio: Metal: Hellsinger

Best Game Trailer: Goat Simulator 3 Announcement Trailer

Best Game Community: Final Fantasy XIV

Best Gaming Hardware: Steam Deck

Breakthrough Award: Vampire Survivors (critically chosen)

Critics’ Choice Award: Elden Ring (critically chosen)

Best Performer: Manon Gage – IMMORTALITY (critically chosen)

Nintendo Game of the Year: Pokemon Legends: Arceus

PC Game of the Year: Return to Monkey Island

PlayStation Game of the Year: Stray

Xbox Game of the Year: Grounded

Most Wanted Game: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Ultimate Game of the Year: Elden Ring